R.I.P. Chris Kelly

My brother and I grew up with a varied musical taste, most likely due to growing up as skateboarding groms in Baltimore city. We eventually moved out to the suburbs and attended higher-end schools where everyone dressed the same--polo, vineyard vines, bright colors-- and had the same elitist views. While we transformed slightly to adhere to our surrounding, we still maintained some of that urban lifestyle, mostly in the form of our choice in music.

At one point, Kris Kross was at the epicenter of the pop hip-hop world. The rap duo, discovered by Jermaine Dupri and signed to his label “So So Def Records”, was composed of Chris “Daddy Mac” Kelly and Chris “Mac Daddy” Smith. Their album “Totally Krossed Out” went multiplatinum due to the power of their undeniably catchy song “Jump”, which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 8 weeks. Although this song pushed them into the public’s eye, they gained notoriety for their fashion sense by wearing all of their clothes backwards. While it’s uncomfortable, inefficient, and simply odd, it’s their style. Even the notion of wearing clothes backwards will always make me think of this group.

Chris Kelly was pronounced dead last night in Atlanta due to possible overdose. It’s always a shame to hear about another young star wilting away after his time in the sun has faded. After their megahit they toured with Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous World Tour”, they appeared on TV, and even had Kris Kross: Make My Video” for Sega CD. But eventually they faded as their next two albums were not strong enough (Although "Young, Rich & Dangerous", which was released in 1996, did reach Gold status) to maintain their stardom. While he was keeping a low profile, Chris was still working on music and had hundreds of songs that had been recorded. He had also apparently gone back to school to be a studio engineer. The best way to find out who someone is is see what they do when they are alone. From what it sounds like, Chris Kelly was someone who loved and was passionate about music. And passion is one of the main attributes of an ambitious man.

I can’t wear backwards clothes due to my corporate surroundings, but at one point today, I will jump as my tribute to him.

- Kyle